Facts of life : the social construction of vital statistics, Ontario, 1869-1952 / George Emery.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Emery, George Neil, 1941-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Statistics--Ontario.

Statistics.

Ontario--Statistics, Vital.

Ontario.

Ontario--Population--Statistics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (260 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1993.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Emery's central argument is that scholars must recognize the social historical character of the statistics before using them as a basis for research. He defines "social" broadly to include both an external component (the ideologies, concerns, and processes in society that influenced civil registration officials) and an internal component (the complex way officials organized civil registration, which greatly affected the statistics). Thus he treats statutes, regulations, the content of registration forms, and definition of significant terms as part of the social history of the statistics, not as technical background material. The issues treated include the incomplete registration of vital events, the influence of different definitions of "live birth" on statistics for infant deaths, the nature of statistics for death by cause, and the problem of "residence" - the difference between vital events occurring in a municipality and those involving its residents. Emery places Ontario's vital statistics in the context of the international statistics movement and the development of the province's registration system. He then provides empirical illustrations of how aspects of definition influence the data and suggests strategies for responding to such problems. The chapter providing a case study of the completeness of mortality registrations for 1869 to 1972 was prepared in collaboration with Kevin McQuillan.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Tables

Figures

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Statistics as Culture: The Origins of Ontario Civil Registration

The Evolution of Ontario Civil Registration, 1869-1950

Death in Ingersoll, 1880-1972: A Case-Study Approach to the Revision of Defective Mortality Statistics

The Completeness of Birth Registrations, 1900-60

Getting Born: How Definition Influenced Statistics for Infant Deaths and Stillbirths, 1926-51

Fatal Pregnancies in Ontario, 1920-35: A Study of the Nature of Statistics for Deaths by Cause

Whose "Facts of Life"? The Problem of Residence in Vital Statistics, 1920-43

Conclusion

Ontario-Quebec Differences in the Application of Canada's 1932 Statistical Definitions for Live Birth and Stillbirth: Discussion of the Evidence

Ontario Death-Certificate Forms

Definitions of Selected Medical Terms

Rules for Choice of Causes of Death in the Dominion Bureau of Statistics

Problems Encountered in Linking Death Registrations to Published Statistics

The Evidence of Residence Classification Practices in Vital Statistics, 1930-36

Hospital Beds and Reallocations for Residence: Ontario in the 1930S

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [223]-237) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85659-6

9786612856594

0-7735-6424-1

OCLC:

243564293